Family Affairs
by Winekita
Summary: Just a normal day in Houston for 23-year-old Leo Valdez and his twins, Tulio and Esperanza. Or is it? One-shot, rated T because it's a nice letter. Image is mine.


**Disclaimer: No, I do not own the Percy Jackson series or Leo Valdez (I wish), but I DO own Tulio and Esperanza/Espie Valdez-the daughter, not the grandmother.**

**This is a tiny sidebar from one of my bigger grown Leo stories. I'll publish that big one later, but for now, enjoy this one-shot!**

_***~**__**Family Affairs**__**~***_

_**-In no one in particular's POV (fair warning, it will skip around)-**_

"Wee!"

"Yay!"

23-year-old Leo Valdez ran at full speed from the end of the _**Trader Joe's**_parking lot, pushing a shopping cart and hopping onto the end. His 14-month-old twins, Tulio and Esperanza Valdez, sat in the cart's big basket, waving their tiny arms and shouting excitedly.

He had just about run over an older lady who had just cleared her car. Leo didn't get a good look at her and didn't hear much as he sped away, but he was pretty sure she was shouting some nasty curses at him in Spanish. Like he cared. He was having too much fun.

Just before they reached the building, Leo hopped back onto the ground and put on the brakes. He smiled evilly and turned the cart. He lightly 'crashed' into one of the pillars. His twins jerked and fell on top of each other inside the basket, laughing.

"Oh, no!" Leo yelled. "We seem to have crashed! Evacuate! Evacuate!"

He grabbed his twins and hauled them up to the top basket, buckling them in. This took a few minutes, as they both were giggling and struggling. A few people nearby smiled at the sight. Some even laughed and waved at the kids.

But one person had a look of pure hatred.

Leo took no notice of this as he calmly pushed the cart into the grocery store, acting like the huge cart-crash had never happened. The twins glanced over and saw the lady that their _Papi_ had almost run over a couple minutes ago. She looked like she was ready to snap someone in half.

Tulio noticed this and pointed at the woman. "Ah!" He gurgled.

Leo glanced at his son with a smile. "What? See somethin' you like, _mijo_?"

He turned his head but saw nothing but the door and a couple gumball machines. He grinned at his son. "We'll get a couple gumballs later, okay bud?"

Tulio pouted. He didn't want a gumball; he wanted his _Papi_ to see the mean lady behind him. He wanted his _Papi_ to understand what Ah meant, like Espie could (fact: it meant "_look out, Father, there is a monster lady stalking you!_"). His _Papi_ was dense in the language aspect, and Tulio inwardly sighed at his own father's incompetence.

So Leo trudged on through the store, picking up healthy baby-friendly food first (while grimacing at yucky flavors like spinach and broccoli) and moving on to more grown-up foods.

Every once in a while Esperanza (better known as Espie) would spy something sweet and make a grab for it. She wasn't much of a ninja, though, because Leo would immediately put whatever she grabbed back. Well, okay, he decided to keep the chocolate mini-cake. But just this _once_! It was a special kind of day, anyway.

It was when he was in the dairy section that Leo felt the evil aura building. He paused, the 2% milk carton in his hands frozen in mid re-shelve. _That's unsettling. What is that feeling? Monster? No, they wouldn't send off an aura like that. They'd just attack…But then, what in Hades is making me feel uneasy?_

"Ah!" Tulio babbled again. His son pointed again to something behind Leo. Leo turned faster this time. There! It was a woman; even the slightest glimpse told him that. The flash of graying brown hair and old, floral dressing gown as she tried to hide away from Leo's gaze gave her identity away.

He scowled. _So that's it._ Leo turned back towards his twins, forcing a smile. He ruffled Tulio's curly hair. "Thanks, _mijo_. It's okay. _Papi_ can handle that old lady staring him down. She doesn't scare me anymore."

Tulio seemed pleased that Leo had seen the danger. He grinned triumphantly, like he had just saved the day by alerting his father of the monster behind him.

But Leo knew better. That woman was not a monster—not by demigod standards, anyway. That woman wasn't the kind of creature that transformed in front of you and chased you, wanting to eat you. She didn't turn you to stone with a single lock of the eyes. She didn't sprout wings or gain snake tails for feet.

Oh, those monsters Leo could handle.

But this woman was a special kind of demon. One that thought she was righteous in her ways. One that inflicted pain on a certain child without thinking of how much it would scar said child. One who thought her own sister's child was a bastard and a _diablo_.

She was the kind of monster that had sent him away to the first foster home.

She was Leo's Aunt Rosa.

_Bitch,_ Leo swore in his mind. _Why isn't she dead yet? Oh, well…let her stare. I'm a grown man now._ That made him snicker inwardly as his ADHD thoughts activated._ Look at that, I'm only 23 and I'm a grown man? I'm not _that_ grown up, am I? I don't think I should be a grown-up for at least another couple years, maybe when I'm 27 or something? Yeah, that sounds like a good time to grow up. Maybe 30, just to make it an even number…Wait—backtrack a sec. Anyway, I'm not a kid anymore. She can't frighten me. The only things we have in common now are my mother (her sister) and our last name. That's all. She can't scare me!_

Then why did his heart pound a little faster? Why did he feel like he was eight again? Lost, afraid, in need of his mother…

Tulio sensed something was wrong and grabbed at Leo's tool belt. His father was lost in thought, his face getting darker each time they entered a new aisle. The mean lady was still following, her daggers-for-eyes piercing Tulio's heart.

Espie finally picked up on her brother's attitude and her _Papi_'s distress. It was scary when her father didn't smile. He _always_ smiled. Even when something scared the twins (thunder and bad dreams, especially) their _Papi_ always had a smile plastered on his face.

So Espie quickly diagnosed the situation. The problem: the mean old lady in the ugly flower dress was bothering her _Papi_. Solution: get rid of her by any means necessary.

Espie twisted and grabbed one of the apples her father had just put into the cart. She twisted around again, glancing at Leo, who hadn't even noticed his daughter's sudden movements.

Espie didn't know how this strange concept of _throwing_ worked. She had seen some Disney movie somewhere that had someone with an item in their hand one moment, and suddenly it would hit someone else's head the next. That involved some sort of movement with the arm, right?

So she tried it. She flung her arm with the apple in it with all her might, aiming for the old lady.

Miraculously (and with the possible help of a certain messenger god wanting to deliver the oh-so-important 'message'), the apple hit its mark! The old lady gasped as the apple hit her square in the nose, possibly breaking it. Espie babbled triumphantly, "ABBAH!"

Leo snapped out of his dark haze and looked at his daughter curiously. "Now, what are _you_ getting excited for?" He glanced back and saw Rosa (he refused to refer to that woman as his aunt anymore) clutching her face, blood trickling down between her fingers. A semi-smashed apple sat at her feet.

Leo looked at her daughter and back at the apple several times. _Well, well! How did my 14-month-old learn to throw that hard? I might force her into baseball when she's older!_

He glanced back at Rosa once more. She had run off to the restroom. Leo smiled.

"Good girl, Espie."

* * *

Leo made an unscheduled stop on the way home. Well, it was actually two. The first one was at the first street corner. That corner was usually inhabited by vendors that switched out daily. Today's vendor was a florist.

Normally, Leo would ignore the vendor on the corner. He always did. Always thought in the back of his mind, _I don't need –insert item here- and besides, I've already spent my money. I'll be holding up traffic if I stop. That item looks past its prime anyway._ Always an excuse.

But today was different. Today he was going to break the normal schedule. Today he was going to buy two flowers: One forget-me-not and one white rose.

After the purchase, Leo drove off to the second stop. This was the place he hadn't seen in 15 years. One bad experience was all it took for Leo to avoid it his whole childhood. But he wasn't a child anymore. No. He needed to do this.

Maybe he would've done it last year, but there was the matter of taking care of a pair of two-month-olds that didn't like to sleep in the night like sane people. He thought about not doing anything this year, but every day leading up to today had been torturous on his heart. Leo knew he couldn't avoid it forever. He couldn't run away like he did when he was younger. That was his excuse for 13 of those 15 years: He simply wasn't in town.

But now he was. He was now residing in Houston again, where it all began. Where his twins took their first steps. Where he took his. Where his twins learned how to play and laugh. Where he learned how to make _her_ laugh. Where…_it_ happened.

"Ah?" Tulio tilted his head. "Kah!"

Leo registered the tears and immediately wiped them away from his face before facing Tulio. "It's alright, _mijo_. _Papi_'s just acting out of character. He does that sometimes!"

The toddler didn't get the idea but looked away, feeling somewhat satisfied with the weird answer. Then he noticed the car had stopped in front of a gate. Tulio couldn't yet read, so he didn't really know the sign read _**Valdez Cemetery**_.

Leo carefully got the kids out of the car and faced the cemetery. In either hand he held a twin, and each twin held a flower. Tulio had the forget-me-not. Espie had the rose. Leo took a deep breath. He then (shakily) strolled into the small cemetery.

Though his family ancestors had come from Mexico, there were quite a number of old graves here. Most of them had been moved here long ago (some from Mexico, others from New Orleans—the original branch after immigration) at the request of a loved one or something like that. Leo ignored most of the graves, gliding past in long, quick strides to get to the newish gravestones. There were only two he needed to see. And he found them. Right at the back.

The first one was older and more worn. It was also much less taken care of, since no loved ones today seemed to care for the start of the Valdez family's Houston branch. Leo set the twins down and wiped off some dirt from the headstone. He crouched down and read it aloud:

_**Here lies Samuel "Sammy" Valdez Sr.**_

_**1927-1996**_

_**Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather**_

"_**Never forget to smile."**_

Leo did smile at that. Though he had only met his _bisabuelo_ once in life, and he didn't even remember the actual meeting (being a baby and all kinda screws with your memories), Leo still felt as if he knew the old man well. After all, he _was_ Sammy's stunt double.

"Tulio," he motioned for his boy to come closer. "Put the flower here. Yes, right there, in front of the stone."

Tulio placed the forget-me-not gingerly on the soft ground. Leo nodded in approval. "Tulio. That is a forget-me-not flower. I wanted you to give that one to your great-great grandfather to show him that he is not forgotten. Even four generations later, Sammy Valdez Sr. is remembered. Never forget him, _mijo_. He's the one that started it all. Without him…we wouldn't be here now."

Tulio nodded, though Leo didn't really say that out loud for the child's benefit. He knew Tulio didn't really understand. Leo had said that aloud so that Sammy could hear it. He hoped that message came through to his _bisabuelo_ in Elysium (because Leo just knew he had ended up there).

With great effort, Leo faced the second headstone. It took him a while to find his voice, but it came through in the end:

_**Here Lies Esperanza Ramira Valdez**_

_**1971-2003**_

_**Beloved Daughter, Sister and Mother**_

"_**Nothing is unfixable."**_

Espie faced her namesake's tombstone with curiosity. Mimicking her brother, she laid the white rose down on her grandmother's grave. She looked back to see her father holding back tears. Being just over one year old, Espie didn't really understand how most of the world worked or why. She didn't understand why this place was so sad, why these stones had words she couldn't read on them, or why she and Tulio had to give a flower to just these two stone-thingies.

But she did understand one thing: When someone is sad or crying, they need a hug.

So that's what she did.

Esperanza Grace Valdez toddled over and hugged her _Papi_. Tulio Charles Valdez followed suit.

She could hear her father sobbing softly into his twins' hair. And then, she heard him whisper, "I'm so sorry…so sorry…"

That confused Espie to no end, but she didn't let go of him. She wanted her _Papi_ to smile today. Why couldn't he smile like he usually did? What would make him smile now?

"Pah," she tried. That didn't sound right. How did he say it? "Pah."

Leo paused and looked up at his baby girl. His sad eyes only made her more determined.

"Pahp…pee." Not quite how he would say it. How did he say it!?

Tulio was now mimicking her. "Pah!" He had immediately understood what his sister was trying to do and did his best to help. They wanted their father to smile. They wanted him to stop feeling sad.

"Pa…pee…" So close, they both thought in their bizarre baby language. They were so close to the word!

And then…

"_Papi_!" Both of them said it. Together. And both of them saw the sadness in their _Papi_'s face melt away. He broke into a huge grin. The twins repeated the word, "_Papi_!"

Leo didn't think his chest could swell with any more pride. He felt as though he might burst. "Tulio…Espie…you…!" He could hardly find the words anymore. "You said it! Your first word! You said it! You said it! You said it!"

Leo embraced his twins in the biggest bear hug ever. He never wanted to let go.

"_Papi_!" his twins said together. "_Papi_!"

_Today of all days_, Leo thought. _Today has always been the saddest day of the year for me. And now…both of them…oh, they're clever little buggers!_

"Thank you, kids," he said, not dropping his smile. "Thank you so much!"

He turned the twins around, making them face his mother's grave. "Now, kids. I want you to behave while we're here. See this stone?"

The twins nodded.

"This is your Nana. Your _abuela_. Your grandmother."

Of course, they didn't understand. Because Leo was a single parent with no family beyond his own father to watch over them (well, he hadn't come down since they were 5 months old—hey, Leo knew how busy a guy could get), they had no idea what a mother was, so Leo didn't expect them to know what a grandparent—let alone grand_mother_—was. They just looked up at him with wide eyes.

"One day, you'll understand why I'm saying this. But for now, just let your _Papi_ ramble on like he's _loco_. Humor me, just for today."

The twins blinked, still not understanding. He kissed each one on the forehead and told them to hush while he talked.

Leo faced the headstone, the smile still present on his face. He was determined to keep it on now. "Hey, Mom. It's Leo. I…I'm sorry I haven't come to see you in a while. Been kinda busy, you know? Ok, well that's not entirely true, but I'm sure you already knew that. I'm 23 now. Got my own business, thanks to Dad. And I got my own kids, too. This is Tulio—" he rubbed his son on the back. "—and this is Esperanza—" he patted his daughter on the head. "I gave her your name, Mom. Hope that's okay…"

Still smiling, he wiped a tear from his eye. "Anyway, I hope you're doing okay. If I find out you didn't get Elysium, well, let's just say I'll go down there and kick Hades in his Olympian rear personally. You deserve everything Elysium has to offer. You and _bisabuelo_.

"I really miss you. Today is really hard on me, being the day you…gods, why is that so hard to say? It's really hard 'cause it's the day you…_died._" Just saying the word made Leo feel as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. "But, I know now that it wasn't my fault. The Second Giant War—you heard about that, right?—made me realize my power is not as dangerous as I had thought. Sure, it's fire—of course it's dangerous. But I learned how to control it eventually. I even beat the living shit outta Gaea with it. I did that for you."

And so he rambled on. He talked to his mother's gravestone for a good hour, telling her of his adventures during the Second Giant War, his foster home runaways, and even retelling some of his favorite corny jokes. He hoped she was laughing wherever she was. He found himself tapping _I love you_ over and over again in Morse Code as he spoke.

While he rambled on, he didn't notice the figure behind him. He didn't notice the ugly, old floral print dress she was wearing, or how grey her brown hair had actually gotten. And he also didn't notice the scowl melting off her face.

Rosa stayed silent. She had expected to come here and clean off her sister's grave alone. For the past 15 years she had done it as such. No one ever visited the Valdez cemetery anymore. Mostly because over the years the Valdez family had dwindled to nothing but Rosa and the _diablo_.

Rosa had always hated her sister's son. He was illegitimate. He was a pyro. He caused her sister's death, for God's sake. She was always convinced he was a _diablo_ in human form. He didn't deserve to be in the same family as her. Yes, she was afraid of him. Afraid he would do to her what he did to her sister. She wanted nothing to do with him, so she abandoned him, hoping he would disappear and die.

Yet here he was. The _diablo_ was all grown up, with children of his own, going grocery shopping like a normal person and then visiting Esperanza's grave. From her position, Rosa heard him speak of gods, monsters, giants, dragons and magic. He called himself a demigod—such blasphemy. Rosa tried to ignore the _loco diablo_ as much as she could, crossing her chest over and over at his blatant disregard of the good Lord. But something in his voice told her he wasn't lying.

She observed him a while longer, noting the children. The boy was his spitting image that was for sure. And, though Rosa could see they were nearly identical twins, the girl's features were much softer. She resembled her grandmother more than Rosa would have liked. The children didn't look much older than a year. Rosa took a silent note that there was no sign of a mother. That meant one of two things: the mother died giving birth or she wanted nothing to do with the sire and his bastard children. She didn't consider anything but those two choices. Rosa was guessing the latter was the one that rang true.

It was then that Rosa noticed the flower on her _abuelo_'s grave. A forget-me-not? Why in God's good name would he place a flower like that there? She almost had a right mind to smash it, but stopped herself. That was her _abuelo_'s grave and she would respect that. But her mind still wandered to the question: Why would the _diablo_ put a flower on the grave of a man he never met beyond his infancy?

Suddenly, he straightened. He pressed his fingers to his lips, kissed them, and placed the fingers on the stone—right where Esperanza's name was etched. Rosa barely heard him mutter, "I love you Mom. I'll try to visit more often, 'kay? Say hi to _bisabuelo_ for me. Tell him I let Hazel know he said hello."

Rosa didn't know what that meant, either. But, as she was thinking about it, the _diablo_ rose to his feet and turned to face her. He didn't seem surprised to see her.

He just picked his children up, raised his chin, and walked toward Rosa. The old woman steeled herself. She would win this fight. She wouldn't back away from the _diablo_ child. Never.

What he did next haunted her for the rest of her life.

"Good afternoon," he said with a false smile and fake politeness. "I'm sorry if I got in your way, ma'am. Pardon me."

Leo pushed past his aunt. He wouldn't fight with her. Yes, he still hated her—in fact, anger was still boiling inside of him—but he would never let her see that. She wasn't going to win this fight. Leo thought it best to let her believe he had either forgotten her, forgiven her or just didn't care.

Quite frankly, after he thought about it days later, he realized he actually _didn't_ care as much as he used to. She really didn't scare him. He wasn't a child. So why should he act like one to her? Was that the not caring part of him thinking that? Or could that have been forgiveness?

Leo didn't glance back as he walked away from his mother's and _bisabuelo_'s graves. Just kept moving forward.

_Keep moving_, he thought, repeating his old childhood motto over and over, like he was repeating a mantra. _Don't look back. Just keep moving._

If he had looked back, he would've seen Rosa's flabbergasted face. He had hit her without even touching her. She felt the sting. The sting of having that _diablo_ be…nice to her! He didn't raise his voice. Didn't glare or scowl. Didn't lift a finger to hurt her.

And yet it hurt, she admitted. Rosa had never really thought about the consequences of her actions. She never thought how much she might have destroyed him on the inside. She had always had the firm belief that Esperanza's son was a_ diablo_ in child form. That he deserved whatever ill fate would befall him once he was out of Rosa's life.

But now that face and those polite words made Rosa regret her decision to throw him out. The boy—the _diablo_ child that she believed had killed his own mother—had grown into the polite young man with a child in each arm. He had grown into the young man that had visited his mother's grave and put a rose there for her on the anniversary of her death. He had grown into the young man that had had fun with his children at the grocery store, laughing and playing with them while still being a serious father (albeit a serious father who had nearly run her over in the _**Trader Joe's**_ parking lot, but still…).

_He never was a _diablo, Rosa eventually realized near the end of her days. She had come to this realization after mulling over it for years after the cemetery incident. _No. He was never a _diablo_ at all…_

He was Leo Valdez, son of Esperanza Valdez. That was all he ever was.

_***~End~***_


End file.
